Mommy
by iloveghostoftherobot
Summary: A girl is in search of her real mother. What does she have to do with the cast of one tree hill? Read (and review!) to find out.
1. roommie

Hello: Please Read Me. Okay, I don't own One Tree Hill or any of the characters (I wish), but this is just a way for me to blow off steam for not having Chad Michael Murray as my bf. Read and please enjoy whether you like it or not!  
  
"Where is it, where is it, where is it," mumbled a British girl to herself as she steered her '79 Ferrari around a corner and flicked back her perfectly straight blond hair, making her huge hoop earrings swing. She set down the directions in the seat of her car and pulled into the driveway of Karen's Café. She stared at it for a second, then back at the sheet of directions on the seat, then back again at the café. Then she just commenced in sitting there and staring at it. Going in there could mean life or death.  
  
"Who is that girl?" Haley asked Jake as she walked into the kitchen with an order in her hand.  
Jake looked out the window to see a very pretty girl with large blue eyes just sitting there staring at the café. He wondered if she was some kind of serial killer or something. He leaned back to look at Jenny. Better not to find out. "I dunno," he told Haley, and went back to counting out the money. The café was closing in ten minutes, and in a town like Tree Hill, who really cared about counting their money out in the open. He sighed when Jenny began crying, making him lose track. He put the money back in the cash register and picked her up. She ceased. He bounced her up and down and she even made those cute baby coo-ing noises. Five minutes later she was asleep and he put her in her crib ever so gently. Then she started crying.  
Luckily for him, Peyton walked in and in a very motherly gesture, picked the baby up and started bouncing her up and down just the way she loved. Jake smiled at her and she smiled prettily back. Jake felt something for Peyton that he had thought he had felt for Nikki. Too bad he could never go for it; that kiss with Nikki and her heart-wrenching pleas to see her baby and seeing her in the window when she thought he was asleep was almost too much for him to bear. But he wouldn't allow her to put Jenny through the kind he had been through.  
"You know," said Peyton, "There's some blonde chic who's just been sitting in your driveway for like, ten minutes now."  
"I know," Jake said, looking out at her again. He watched tears pool in her eyes and one streak down her cheek, smearing her mascara. Quickly she raised a perfectly manicured hand to wipe it away, pulling out a compact mirror to cover up the black streak. He figured he should see if she was all right.  
He told Peyton what he was doing, kissed Jenny on the head and walked to the door, sticking his head out and calling to the blonde, "Hey, are you all right? Can we help you somehow?"  
In a decidedly British accent, the girl laughed a silly tinkling laugh and said, "Oh no, I'm quite all right. I guess I just got the wrong address. Does Karen Roe work here?"  
"Yeah, she's in the back if you want to see her. We're about to close up but I can grab her if you want."  
The girl looked at something in the seat of her Ferrari, then looked at Jake and beamed at him. It was such a pretty smile he thought he was going to be blinded. "No, I don't think so. I guess I'll just go home."  
  
Jake nodded at her, feeling a little uncomfortable now. He walked back in to start counting the money and Peyton asked what she wanted. He shrugged and told her what she had said. Peyton shook her head.  
  
The girl pulled out of the driveway and started to drive around. Finally she pulled into an apartment building parking lot and smoothly parallel parked between a big blue van and a bright pink Cadillac that may well have been built in the 50's. It was at least three different shades of pink and the fender was scratched beyond reason and falling off. The window was cracked and had gross gummy stuff that looked like it was trying to keep the window on. She shook her head and stepped out of the car, looking at the sign in a window way up on the top floor.  
"Roommate Wanted," said the sign. It was scrawled in big black and untidy letters. She figured it was some college student who didn't dig the dorms. She probably wasn't what they were looking for - an emotional wreck - but what could the college student really want? I mean, making it on your own is pretty damn scary and she knew all about that. They probably had that sign up there for weeks and no answers. She knew she'd be making their day. (She just didn't know how right she was just then).  
  
Nathan was lying down on his bed, looking around his barren apartment. The painters had finished and now all he had was his two duffel bags full of clothes, junk he'd acquired over the years, and a ton of basketball trophies. He ran his hands through his hair and wondered if maybe he should just go to the roof, walk to the edge, and call it quits.  
Knock, knock, knock. "Just a minute!" he yelled testily, jumping off the bed. He was only in his boxers, but it was only going to be someone he knew. (Too bad the blonde girl had to be smart and Nathan had to be so stupid today).  
He opened the door and saw a pretty blonde girl standing there. She looked him up and down and then looked at him a little weirdly. "I'm Catherine Johnston," she said, putting her slim hand in his. He shook it and scratched the back of his head, wondering if he should scramble back to his room and put something on, or keep acting nonchalant. He figured to go with the nonchalant thing.  
"Come in," he said. "You here about the sign on the window?" he asked, pointing in the general direction.  
"Yeah," she said, walking in and closing the door behind her. She looked around and wrinkled her nose before she could stop herself. "Did you just paint it? I hate the smell of paint. Sorry, I don't mean to complain, but you don't think we could open a window do you?"  
Nathan smiled and crossed over to a window, lifting it up, then leaning by the empty space of wall beside it. Then again, considering it was all empty, that really doesn't make much of a difference. "So, tell me about yourself," he said.  
"This is gonna sound weird, but like, what do I tell you? I mean to say I've never done this whole apartment thing before. I've never had to have a roommie except for when I was in Catholic school, and believe me, that was an entirely separate situation."  
Nathan just smiled again, and thought about Catholic schoolgirls short skirts. Snapping himself out of it, he said, "You know, like um...are you neat? Are you still in school? Going to college? In college? That kind of thing."  
Catherine nodded and said, "Well, I'm fairly neat. Actually, I'm a complete neat freak. I'm just like that Monica on that um...show with the six people on it who seem like they've taken their share of dumb pills. Oh, what'sitcalled."  
"Friends?" Nathan was shocked at himself.  
"Yes!" she cried excitedly. "All right, so I'm neat. I'm a sophomore in high school. I'm getting this huge amount of money from a trust fund when I turned eighteen so I most certainly am going to college, I'm a bit of a wreck right now, but that won't interfere with not getting the rent on time. I'm a very capable and responsible person so I'll be able to balance school and a job and get the rent on time. Is that the kind of thing you wanted to know?"  
  
"Yeah, that, and where are you from?"  
"All over," she said.  
"Yeah. But if you had to say you spent somewhere the longest, where would that be?"  
  
"Well, we lived in two different countries for two years each. I was born in Ireland. Then we moved to London and Da had me take all these speech classes so I'd sound like I really was a well-brought up girl from London. See, all his business partners were Londoners, and...you don't need to be hearing this. We lived in London for two years, then moved around A LOT. Then we lived in South America for two years. Which wasn't very pleasant because it was only two years after Apartheid. All these Africans were shouting and throwing things at me and me Da. It was very painful. I still have a scar from a pencil incident."  
Nathan couldn't help but laugh a little.  
"Oh, you can laugh, but I'm telling you. Having a pencil thrown straight into your arm that hard! It hurts! Oh, and sometimes, when I get upset, I start talking in Latin. I know it's weird. It's true though."  
"Latin?"  
"Catholics? You know anything about them?"  
"Right. Well, I think you'll be good. No one else has come around and I've had this sign up for a week." He took it off and made a paper airplane out of it, flying it straight into the trashcan. "Get your stuff."  
"It's just a duffel bag. I'll help pay for furnishings if you'd like."  
"No, that's really not necessary. I wouldn't want you having to dig in your money like that."  
"I have two million dollars," she stated quickly and clearly.  
Nathan's jaw dropped.  
"Me Da died in an accident," she said. She seemed calm, but Nathan detected a slight tremor in her voice. "I got all of his money, which is a rather considerable amount."  
"Then you can definitely move in. But we will split the cost half-in- half."  
"Oh, that's not really necessary. When I turn eighteen I get like, twelve million."  
"Oh, it's necessary. Now go get the duffel."  
She came back up in two minutes, car keys clanging on the belt loop of her rather tight pants. Not that Nathan minded they were tight. They walked her into a room that was even smaller than his and set the duffel down. She opened the teeny closet and laughed. "Well then, I suppose this is really living the life, huh?"  
  
"Catherine -"  
"Cat please."  
  
"Cat, not that I don't want you here or anything, but if you have two million dollars, then why are you bothering staying a crappy unfurnished apartment like this?  
  
"I guess because I want to save as much of that money as I can until I'm out of college."  
"Oh. What's after college?"  
"A tour of the world. Every major city there is I'm going to visit. Then I'm going to the ones only very few people have heard of, and a few that no one has. Then, I'm not sure. I know six different languages fluently, four more but only conversationally. So, I'm thinking somewhere in Europe where it's nice and warm. Maybe the south of France? Maybe Portugal. I really don't know."  
Nathan just nodded and scratched the back of his head again. Catherine and hung up her clothes on the bare wire hangers.  
By the end of the day, Nathan and Catherine had talked and talked, telling each other about their troubled childhoods. Except for the whole, moving across the globe part, it sounded like Catherine's dad was just like hers. Her mother lived somewhere here in Tree Hill and that was why she was here, but she couldn't work up the guts to go and meet her. Which was why she was living with Nathan now. She didn't think she could impose on a mother she had just met anyway.  
  
Please Review me! 


	2. don't look down

Still don't One Tree Hill. (damnit)  
  
"Henry, Henry wake up." Peyton giggled as she shook Nathan's shoulders. Why was she calling him Henry? "Henry, c'mon, we're going to be late for Kelly's party. Remember what she did last time. Vamos Henry, we've got to go!" Why was she talking with a British accent? Peyton shook Nathan's shoulders again and Nathan opened his eyes. He was in his dark room, staring at the ceiling. Peyton wasn't here. No one was here but him and Cat. What was she doing?  
He rolled over and saw her lying on the floor; giggling then suddenly she stopped and looked scared. Nathan began to watch with interest, a small smile growing on his lips. She rolled over and began to lightly snore. After five minutes, Nathan figured she had settled back into normal sleep, and he himself rolled over and went to sleep. In another dream, him and Lucas were sneaking out of his dad's house and he thought he heard a window opening. He wondered if it was real when he woke up in alarm. But checking the window quickly, Nathan saw he had nothing to worry about and went back to sleep again.  
  
"So as you can see, the quadratic formula for finding out what beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep..." Why was Mr. Orson emitting sounds like her alarm clock? Haley wondered, finally opening her dreams from what might qualify as a nightmare. Having to relive physics all over again? I don't think so.  
Haley sleepily rolled over and pressed the snooze on her alarm clock, then thinking about it, just turned it off and rolled out of bed. Thinking about Nathan got her through brushing hair and teeth, taking a shower, brushing her hair and eating minimal breakfast. She wanted to get out of the house and fast. All she could think about was seeing Nathan. She had an hour before school started, and she knew Nathan liked being up early. She practically ran to the bus stop and prayed that the bus driver would go faster to get to his apartment building.  
Haley had something very important to tell him.  
  
Brooke was dancing on a bar as she ran her fingers through her luxurious hair. She was shaking it for all she was worth and Lucas just couldn't tear his eyes away. She stripped off her shirt and threw it at Lucas, so that it landed on his shoulder. She winked and the crowd went wild. Mouth hanging open, Lucas wordlessly asked for more as he watched that black lacy bra move back and forth as she wiggled herself around on stage.  
Finally the grand finale. She went to the pole and really began to shimmy. Turning to Lucas, she opened her mouth in a sexy manner and said, "Lucas," in his mother's voice. "Luke it's time to wake up."  
He opened his eyes and looked around his room. Weird dream. Not that he was complaining. But he wasn't so sure he wanted it to be Brooke up there. He kind of thought of a certain girl with the most adorable smile in the world. But no one could know about that. Especially not her. He pulled a shirt over his head and decided to drop by her locker at school today. Maybe a quick note to brighten her day would be good. Just a little something to fall out at her that she could look at and smile.  
  
Lucas was talking in phone ring sounds. No he wasn't, Peyton realized as she reached over for the phone. What she had mistaken for phone sobs in her dream where Lucas was crying about Nathan being hit by a car (wonder why she dreamed that?), were, in fact, actual phone rings. She put the white receiver to her ear, bracing herself for the sound of the elusive girl's voice. She'd been getting weird phone calls from a really creepy girl who told her she should never have tried to steal her man, that her guy was too good for her and that Peyton should crawl up in a corner and die.  
"Hello?" Peyton asked, the dread already building in her voice.  
"You deserve to die Peyton," the girl said. "You think that by coming into a guy's life and 'helping him through something' you can just become his girlfriend. But let me tell you, if you try anything with that guy, I will personally chop you into a thousand little tiny pieces and mail them to your father.  
"I'd mail them to your mother, but apparently she ran herself into a car not wanting to have to deal with you anymore." Click. A sob hitched in Peyton's throat. As if she hadn't had that very thought a million times. And why did Brooke have to keep calling and saying these horrid things to her on the phone? Did she really hate her that much for making out with Lucas? Peyton had thought a truce was something where both sides stopped for a while.  
She leaned back against her pillows and reminisced about she and Brooke had once become friends in the first place.  
  
Nathan walked over to the window to look out at the sunny day. He knew it would be partially blocked by the huge tree outside his window, but he still wanted to see the sun shining through the leaves. He wondered absently if Haley might show up. He hoped so. Seeing her first thing in the morning really made his day. He also wondered what she'd make of his new roommie.  
Speaking of new roommies, his current one was sleeping on a tree branch. That's right. One arm was bent and her hand was pressed to her cheek. Her sheath of long blond hair was spilling over her shoulders and hanging straight. Both legs were straddled over the sides like she thought she was riding a horse. He had to get her inside, but how to wake her up without startling her? Think, think, think, but think fast.  
  
She was once again riding in her Ferrari. It was a great day outside. The sun was shining in her golden hair and she was smiling broadly. Nothing could go wrong. Well, Henry coming over with her father being the way he was might, but she thought he had the sense to stay away when she told him to. She had shown him the mark that guy had made the other night with the -  
"Cat."  
That one word immediately startled Catherine out of her dream.  
"Cat don't move. You're in a tree."  
Catherine decided to listen to whoever was talking. Her vision was still blurry and she was aware of being in great pain. Her legs hurt, her hips hurt, her right arm hurt, and for some odd reason, so did her head.  
"Cat, wake up but don't move too fast or you'll fall."  
Catherine slowly sat up, sending pain up and down her legs. She winced, which cleared up her vision a little better. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Looking around, she realized the voice was right. She was in a tree. She was up a creek without a paddle. (Weird thoughts could go through Cat's mind when they were all muddled around from strange sleep). For some reason, this seemed hilariously funny. Catherine started giggling uncontrollably. There was nothing she could do. She had to wake up and get out of the tree, but that creek thing without a paddle that was funnier than the man with no legs joke! Concentrate! She told herself.  
Then, Catherine made the biggest mistake she could make. She looked down. All of a sudden, the ground began going up and down, up and down, swirling around like the giant teacups at Disneyland. Faster, and faster, and faster she was slung about, all the while holding to the tree branch so hard, the bark of the tree cut her hands. The ground came up and went down, came up and went down, giving Catherine such a motion sickness, she wasn't sure she'd make it to the bathroom before barfing. That was when she made her second mistake. Admitting to herself that she was afraid of heights. (She had kind of guessed, but had never really put it to the test like this).  
"C'mon Cat," Nathan called out to her. His voice sounded so far away! It was like she was at one end of a swirling and maddening tunnel, while he was on the other, sane side. He was asking her to join the land of sanity, but for her that was now impossible. The grass came so close, she believed if she reached out she could touch it. Then it sickeningly dropped to the bottom of the earth, crushing Antarctica and the rest of the continents underneath America. Then again it came up and began to swirl again.  
Catherine started to inch forward, the last sane part of her mind reminding her she did have to get through the tunnel - oops, window - or else the madness would never stop. Centimeter, by careful centimeter, Catherine began to scoot forward. One hand in front of the other, grasping the branch and pulling. Her legs scooting over the rough bark and slowly shredding her pretty silk pajama bottoms. She didn't care though. Tears began to streak down her face. Her lower lip trembled.  
Crack. Catherine was almost all the way to the window, but still the big heavy branch that had held her weight all through the night was now not going to take it. Catherine slid down a few inches, still holding onto the branch and crying. She knew that if she gave up, there was a very large possibility she could fall and break something. An arm, a leg, her neck. The tears came faster and hotter, blurring her vision so badly; she almost couldn't see the swirling of the ground. But she could sense it. Oh how she could sense it.  
Finally the branch just gave out. It fell to the ground. Luckily for Catherine, Nathan's reflexes were quicker than a cat's. He reached out and grabbed her arms, slowly but surely drawing her back into the apartment. With the force of the last yank that got her back to safety, the two of them flew back in and Nathan landed on top. Catherine started to giggle uncontrollably, having just been through a major ordeal. (For her anyway. She was deathly afraid of heights and for good reason you may, or may not find out later in the story! It's a repressed memory, so that should be interesting...) Nathan caught the giggles and the both of them turned their silly giggles into maniacal laughter, Catherine quickly repressing this memory as well and just giving over to laughter. Nathan was laughing so hard; tears were streaming down his cheeks.  
  
Haley pulled into the apartment building's parking lot and killed the engine. She stuck her keys in her pocket and took out the spare key Nathan had given her. She fairly flew up the steps, about the same time Nathan yanked Catherine into the apartment building.  
  
Maybe you could come by the place we used to hang all the time. I don't know, maybe not. It's not like a girl like you wouldn't have plans Friday night, right? I mean, look at you. You're a total social butterfly and now everyone knows it. Just see if maybe you can make it, okay? It would really make my day. I'd like to talk to you about something very important. Lucas  
Lucas grinned at the note and stuck it in his jacket pocket, placing the pen back on the coffee table. He grabbed his backpack and slung it on his shoulder, then gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek. He clambered into his car and thought about how great it would be to see the girl of his dreams smile at the note he had stuck in her locker. Not that he would ever tell her how he felt. She was happy with things the way the were now. And it seemed like something was bugging her. Ever since he and Brooke had broken up it seemed like; she had always had something else on her mind. Always had something that made her smile or cry out of no where.  
Maybe this note could fix that.  
He got to school and stuck the note in through the slots at the top of the locker. (What were those for anyway?) Then he made his way to the library, where he planned on getting his English done.  
  
Her drawing of Jake was quickly crumpled and stuffed in her pocket when she heard the library door open. But it was only Lucas. It wasn't Jake. She was planning on telling Luke about her newest crush factor, but wasn't so sure she should. Maybe she just shouldn't even think about dating for a while. She had gotten with Nathan - big mistake. She had known that from day one. She had gotten, kind of, with Lucas, and that was a big mistake as well. First going behind Nathan's back, then not really sure, then going behind Brooke's back. She didn't want another half-brother love situation going on ever again.  
But Jake was so sweet, and he was so nice to her. Maybe it was only because she was so good with Jenny. Maybe Jake only put up with her because she was sort of like a substitute mom since Nikki had run out. But that didn't seem to be a problem anymore. Peyton wondered what would happen if Jake couldn't help himself and got back together with her. She shuddered at the thought and took out a new piece of paper as Lucas sat down at her table.  
"What's up?" he asked, the voice she had once loved rolling from his throat.  
"Nothing much," she said, as she began a drawing of a broken heart with a dagger plunging through the end of it where it was still together. Right now it looked like a sketch line of a sunrise or something, but soon it'd look like what she wanted it to. She lost herself in her art as Lucas started his homework.  
  
Nathan and Catherine had stopped giggling. Haley walked in and called out for Nathan. Unfortunately for the two of them, they had not heard her. Haley walked farther into the apartment, figuring maybe Nathan - as strange as it may be - had decided to sleep in today. He had been kind of bummed about no one showing up when he put out the roommate search sign and put an ad in the paper.  
"Nathan?" she called again, and walked in on Nathan lying on top of another girl. A very pretty girl she had never met before. Was this his way of getting back at her for the party? How many times had she apologized? 


	3. mommy

Still don't One Tree Hill. (damnit)  
  
After Nathan had cleared things up with Haley and she had gone home, Nathan decided to go for his morning run.  
He stopped by Cat's door and asked if she wanted to come. She got dressed in short shorts and a tank top with a light sweater over it and they headed out the door.  
"Who's Henry?" asked Nathan.  
"No one. He's no one," said Cat rather testily.  
"Didn't seem like no one in the dream you were having last night," Nathan said in a very insinuating tone.  
"Oh, up yours Nate. He's an ex ofmine and I'd really rather that we didn't talk about it."  
"Fine, sure, whatever." Nathan stuffed the rest of the candy bar in his mouth and then they actually got down to the sidewalk.  
They were heading towards Lucas's house, but Cat didn't know it. Of course, Nathan had told her they were stopping to pick up a friend so he could jog too and she had seemed a little nervous, but she was going to school that day and she'd just have to get used to it. He wasn't even thinking about the fact that Lucas's house, would of course, but Karen's house too. Of course, how much of that tied in to what happened later, we'll never know. I'm just the writer here. I don't go too deep into their heads.  
  
Nathan couldn't help noticing the one piece of jewelery Cat waas wearing. It was tucked underneath her shirt and had been since she moved in. he'd never seen her without a fine gold chain around her neck, dipping into whatever shirt she was wearing. He had always meant to ask her what was on it, and now seemed the perfect time. They were halfway to Lucas's house.  
"What's that necklace you're always wearing?" he asked.  
"Something Henry gave me."  
"Yeah, but what's on it?"  
Cat looked at Nathan a little exasperatedly, then shrugged and said, "I guess I can tell you that at least."  
She reached for it and brought out a silver heart locket. It was sort of on the small side, but the diamonds outlining it and the ruby in the middle far made up for that. Nathan stopped in his tracks to stare at the mesmerizing flash of the jewels in the sunlight, admire the glint on the silver.  
"Dude, that guy must have been loaded!" Nathan exclaimed.  
Cat laughed.  
"Why'd he give it to you? I mean, what was the occasion?"  
They resumed jogging.  
"he had cheated on me. He came to me with this and said, 'I'm giving you my heart and all my love with it. It may not be big, or made of gold, but it shinees with love for you. You can keep it or get rid of it, but don't return my heart." He noticed her eyes had become overbright.  
Nathan couldn't think of anything to say. All he could manage was, "Wow."  
They got to Lucas's and Nathan knocked on his door. There was a lot of grunting and groaning, a thump on the floor, and then another thump when he fell into the door.  
"Hello?" he asked groggily, looking from Cat to Nathan. He was shirtless and his very well defined and toned muscles were shwoing. The way the sun shone in his hair made it look like a golden halo.  
"What'd'ya want man?" he asked in a rough and hoarse voice from just waking up.  
"Get dressed dude. We got company here. C'mon now."  
Lucas obediently pulled on a shrt and shorts (the shirt tight against his wonderfully muscled chest). They were about to leave when Karen walked through Lucas's bedroom door.  
Nathan and Cat gulped almost simultaneously. Cat shot Nathan a dirty look and Nathan just stared back a little guiltily.  
Cat had, of course, seen pictures of Karen, but seeing her in person was so much more different. Her hair was a lot short and a LOT straighter, there were also a few wrinkles around her eyes. But she was unmistakably Karen.  
"I thought I heard voices," she said. "Who's this?" She was looking at Cat. She cocked her head to one side and a distant look came over her face as though she were trying to remember something. She said, "You know, you look familiar to me. Have we met?" 


End file.
